Klay Thompson returns after scary collision minutes into Game 1 of NBA Finals

SportsPulse: Trysta Krick dissects Golden State's season to this point and explains why there is a lot on the line for a Warriors team looking for its third championship in four years.
USA TODAY Sports

Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors reacts after being fouled by JR Smith of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals.(Photo: Lachlan Cunningham, Getty Images)

OAKLAND – The Golden State Warriors might be heavily favored in the NBA Finals, but they’re off to a painful start against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Literally.

Midway through the first quarter of Game 1 at Oracle Arena, when the Cavs led 18-15, four-time All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson went down with a left knee injury when Cavs guard J.R. Smith went barreling into him along the sideline. Thompson, who was taken to the locker room and evaluated, suffered only a left lateral leg contusion and returned to start the second quarter.

During the play, Smith appeared to slip as he pursued Thompson, and his body bent Thompson’s leg backward as they went to the floor.

Thompson, who is one of the league’s most durable players, smacked the hardwood with his hand while in obvious pain and eventually limped to the locker room to consult with the team’s training staff. Smith continued to hear it from the fans from there, as they booed every time he touched the ball.

Thompson, who has won two titles with the Warriors and an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 2016, averaged 20 points per game this season while shooting 44.8% from three-point range. The Warriors are already without veteran swingman Andre Iguodala, who has missed the last five games with a left leg contusion.